Gauteng's newly appointed MEC for education Panyaza Lesufi says the department has set aside R2 billion to realise paperless classrooms in the province's schools over the next three years, according to a Sunday Independent report.
The paper quotes the MEC, who says bringing ICT-driven education is the legacy he wants to leave after his tenure. Among the plans towards technology adoption include replacing hard copy textbooks e-books on tablet devices and projectors in place of chalkboards.
"I'm investing a lot in ICT because I believe the problems we have in the system - not all of them, a majority of them - can be resolved through ICT," says Lesufi. The MEC says integrating technology will save teachers time, compared to writing on chalkboards, adding that marking tests and other assessments is likely to be optimised.
He adds that problems encountered by the Limpopo education department in delivering textbooks in 2012 showed him that government "can't afford to print textbooks every year and distribute to every learner".
According to the paper, Lesufi says the paperless approach will be introduced from grade 8, to ensure younger pupils are grounded in adequate handwriting.
Moving swiftly
Meanwhile, a growing number of South African schools are taking technology adoption into their own hands, including mobility and interactive teaching, as government's ICT education plans have yet to gather momentum.
Digitised books, interactive teaching and learning and enabling wireless connectivity are some of the ways schools are increasingly relying on technology in classrooms.
Many private schools in Gauteng have also adopted a bring-your-own-device approach, requiring learners to have their own tablets or laptops.
The Department of Basic Education has numerous projects in the pipeline, including finalising a cloud offering by adding more content to it. The online portal allows teachers and learners to access learning material and enables administrators to publish notices for their schools.
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